Water levels high along Elbe and Vitava in Czech Republic

DPA
·1 min read
Heavy rains raised the level of the Elbe River in Vestrev. Taneèek David/CTK/dpa
Heavy rains raised the level of the Elbe River in Vestrev. Taneèek David/CTK/dpa

Water levels remained high along rivers in the Czech Republic on Friday, the country's hydrometeorological institute (CHMU) reported.

The third-highest alarm level was reported along the Elbe in Děčín,
Ústí nad Labem and Litoměřice.

The same alarm level was reported on the Vitava, the country's longest river, which merges with the Elbe. Sandbags have been placed along the river banks in Český Krumlov, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

By contrast, water levels had dropped to normal in Prague.

Dykes on the Elbe in Ústí nad Labem collapsed along a well-used road for the second time within weeks.

Images showed the roadway under water. A diver was deployed to close a faulty valve, and the emergency services had to pump out water to allow traffic to begin moving again, the CTK news agency reported.

Cycle paths were also flooded. The Czech authorities predict that water levels will peak on Saturday and decline only slowly thereafter.